Boys Don't Bruise

Of Egos and First Names: Lily and James

'NO, Potter!' Lily almost screamed when he cornered her right after Care of Magical Creatures. Again. 'What part of no don't you understand? I will NOT go out with you!'

'C'mon, Evans, it's just to Hogsmeade and back,' said Potter while rumpling his hair. 'It's not like I'm asking you to marry me.'

'You had better not!' said Lily, in a tone of extreme revulsion. He drew another breath, but she cut him off. 'No. My answer is no, and that's the only one you're going to get.' And with that Lily Evans took off, towards the Gryffindor Common Room, praying he wouldn't follow her.

She dropped herself, sighing loudly, in the armchair closest to the fire, to warm up a bit from that stroll across the grounds.

Would he never learn? After asking her out for four months and getting no for an answer every time, one would think he'd get the message, right?

If he was going to try one more time, she might just lose all self-control and hex him. Well, he had it coming anyway. He was asking for it. Potter. With his untidy hair and his broom. And his nicked Snitch he thought to be so amusingly cute.

Lily had never really taken a liking to Potter and she'd never tried to get to know him. He was such a haughty, arrogant, irritating little child! She was sure that he would never, ever grow up.

How could somebody be so bloody annoying and not realise he's acting like a complete prat? Oh, you'd definitely have to be a boy to do that. Only boys would hand out curses like Christmas presents and think it was cool.

Cool. Another thing she loathed. She couldn't count the times she'd heard people describe Potter as cool. That's such an immature word, cool. At that point, Lily swore to herself she'd never use the word cool again.

And she didn't even want to get started on Potters' friends, they were exactly the same. Acting all special or nonchalant in function of their image. Black was the careless daredevil, looking devilishly handsome in doing so. The little one, what was his name? Pettigrew? He only hung out with them so he wouldn't end up like Snivellus. And Lupin . . . his attitude vexed Lily most of all. Black, Potter and Pettigrew, they couldn't help acting like gits, they didn't know any better. But Remus did.

Remus was the only one Lily knew by first name. Or at least, the only one she wanted to call by first name. (If Potter found out she knew his, he'd tell everyone she fancied him. And how was she supposed to know them anyway? They kept on addressing each other with those stupid nicknames.) Remus was really smart and rather good-looking too, he could be such a nice boy. Of course, he was a little bit pale, yet if you looked beyond that . . . well he was quite noticeable all in all, Lily thought. Only his attitude was enraging. He just sat there, looking completely disinterested, not even thinking of commenting his friends on anything. He never said, "Guys, I think that should do." Remus should know better, Lily decided.

*

'Oi, Evans!'

Bloody hell, here we go again, Lily thought, as she started walking towards the castle. 'No, Potter. I will not go out with you,' she said tonelessly, not even turning around to face him.

'Where did you get the idea I wanted to ask you out?' Potter sneered.

'Because you never ask anything else,' she said, picking up her pace. 'Listen, could we do this quickly? I've got tons of homework.'

'Ouch,' said Black, who had joined them. A thump and a muffled cough behind her right ear told her Potter had hit Black.

'Some people would refer to that as wishful thinking, you know,' the all too familiar and annoying voice said. (Lily could already imagine him waggling his eyebrows at his friend, while rumpling his hair yet again)

'Nice save, Prongs,' Black commented. Another thump.

'And some people would refer to you as charming,' Lily said, choosing to ignore the fact others were listening.

'Why, thank you, I'm quite proud of that myself, Evans,' he sniggered. 'So tell me, when will we meet on our next Hogsmeade trip? Or would you prefer to come and watch Gryffindor beat Slytherin next Saturday?'

'I prefer a candlelit dinner with a Boggart,' she said casually. A choir of laughter burst out behind her. Great. He'd brought all three Stooges.

'Oh, don't you think you're exaggerating a bit? Give me a chance. Get to know the real Potter,' he said, sounding like those men Lily had seen on the home shopping channel. 'Get hooked. I bet you'll beg for more after one date.'

She heard Black let out a cough that sounded oddly like 'Smooth'. At that, Lily stopped abruptly and turned around.

'As if there's any danger of that happening.' She put her hands to her hips, clutching to her wand, while glaring at him. 'What, in the name of Merlin, Potter, is it going to take for you to accept the fact that I'll never go out with you and thus will never risk getting hooked?'

'You heard it, Prongs-' Black started, sounding bored, but Lily broke him off.

'Shove it, Black, and let the man speak so I can leave.'

'Well, you could start by calling me by my first name.' Potter winked at her, giving her a smile that would nicely fit a toothpaste-commercial. He probably uses spells to bleach his teeth, Lily shivered at the thought.

Oh no, she said to herself, I'm not giving you the pleasure of calling you by your first name so you can run off and tell everyone I'm in love with you.

'Alright then, Harry. Are you happy now?' said Lily, using the first name that came to mind and she turned to walk away.

'Harry?' Potter asked bewildered, looking a bit hurt.

Oh. He'd noticed.

'I sure hope your first name is not Prongs,' she told him hurriedly. 'And if it's not Harry, well ... it should be then. It sounds good-'

'It's James, Lily,' Lupin almost whispered. Damned Lupin. She knew he was called James! When would he finally learn to use that brain of his!

'-and it sure sounds a hell of a lot better than James. Good evening.' And without deeming them worthy of one more look, she rushed off to the girls' dormitory.

'That arrogant little brat with his abnormal bigheadedness!' She muttered to herself while throwing her books on her four-poster. 'That giant, haughty oaf living in his sickening, self-centred world!'

Where did he get the nerve to presume she'd ever date him! He was too self-satisfied, too egocentric. He was worse than that: he was an egomaniac!

He would never get the message! And she'd be eighty-something and he'd still be at her doorstep every morning to ask her out, convinced that that day would be the day she'd say yes.

Hang on, Lily, she thought, now you're exaggerating. He'll understand eventually. Exactly because he's that self-absorbed. He's too proud to keep on asking you.

Although that still puzzled Lily, that someone who thought so highly of himself, hadn't moved on after four months. The first time she'd said no Lily thought he'd just go looking for someone who wouldn't refuse. But now ... either he was too thick to realise she wasn't playing hard to get, or he really had fallen for her.

That was rather cute, then, wasn't it? Still asking a girl out after four months because you really, really, really liked her? If only he wouldn't act so self-conceited. And if he'd just grow up. And if he would just find other friends!

Lily laid herself on her bed and looked at the ceiling. Normal boys, they would start doubting after being jilted a few times, wouldn't they? Their egos would get bruised, right? But not James Potter ... not him, he was above all natural laws. Boys like that, Lily thought, they just don't bruise...